Grading the Top 10 in … TURKEY!

1. Hande Yener, “Hasta”

Hande Yener is a Turkish pop diva who has sold 17 million albums in her 13-year career. Yener started out as a backup singer for “Queen of Turkish Pop” Sezen Aksu, which allowed her to eventually release a solo project. Yener is known for her fusion of Turkish musical traditions with modern Euro-pop sounds. “Hasta” is the lead single from her 2012 album of the same name. The video shows Hande serving up some Madonna “Hung Up”-era lilac feathered realness from a horizontal dance floor.

2. Soner Sarıkabadayı, “İnsan Sevmez Mi”

3. Murat Dalkılıç, “Lüzümsüz Savaş”

Murat Dalkılıç is a pop singer whose first single, “Kasaba,” was a smash hit penned by Soner Sarıkabadayı. This is a modern rock jam with saxophones, a melodramatic string section, and slide guitar.

Grade: C

Best YouTube Comment: “clip bit of a shame :(” — azramirayçakır

4. Mustafa Ceceli, “Sevgilim”

Any song that starts with a whistle solo can’t be all that bad. Apparently, that opening whistle solo also made it very popular as a ringtone.

Grade: B-

Best YouTube Comment: “do not miss my girlfriend” — TürkanYılmaz

5. Yalın, “Olmasa Da Olur”

More whistling! Yalın, whose full name is Hüseyin Yalın, is a singer-songwriter from Istanbul whose interest in music was inspired by his father’s love for the Gipsy Kings. You can definitely hear that influence here, and it’s hard to fight the catchiness of that little whistle part.

Grade: B

Best YouTube Comment: “Yalın is so handsome” — MehmetaliŞahin

6. Mehmet Erdem, “Herkes Aynı Hayatta”

Mehmet Erdem has a sexy, gravelly voice that he wisely pairs up with bass for this haunting, jazzy pop song. The faux-scratchy color-saturated video for “Herkes Aynı Hayatta” looks like it was run through every Instagram filter simultaneously.

Grade: A-

Best YouTube Comment: “fortunately replay is free” — vildanyüksel

7. Gökhan Türkmen, “Aşk Lazım”

BREEZY AS FUCK WITH A FUNKY GROOVE.

Grade: A

Best YouTube Comment: “laughed a lot, or have a very silly :D” — MeryemSavcı

8. Ferhat Göçer, “Esirinim”

A little soft, but I can’t get it out of my head for the life of me. Göçer is an Anatolian musician with a medical degree from Istanbul University who performs traditional Turkish genres, as well as more modern pop-rock songs.

Grade: B

Best YouTube Comment: “hopefully you will find the opportunity to listen to a live version.” — BABYMUSTY

9. Bengü, “Haberin Olsun”

Bengü Erden is a Turkish pop star. Her latest offering is this ultra-bouncy lokum style confection.

Grade: B-

Best YouTube Comment: “a super song” — yunusemrekontas

10. Seksendört, “Dokunma”

Seksendört, also known as Grup 84, is a Turkish band based in Ankara. I’m a sucker for the twin lead-guitar harmonies and electronic squiggles in this cover of the classic Orhan Gencebay song.